5th Report From Palestine : NOLA Indymedia

Writing these updates on an Arabic computer is always a challenge. Everything is right to left and justified in odd ways.

We are staying in Yanoun, an apparently Idyllic village of ninety-three Palestinians. Yanoun is about five miles from Acroba, the village with an Internet connection, of about 8000 people. Yanoun is absolutely gorgeous. It is on a hillside, surrounded by olive trees and rolling hills. Below is a valley, where farmers tend their goats and plant peppers, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. Settlements, however, surround the village on three sides. Approaching them is forbidden, and the imposing guard towers discourage you if the thought of taking a walk crosses your mind. At night, their spotlights pollute an otherwise serene view of the stars, valley, and moon.

Yanoun has had an international presence for six months, in response to settler attacks last October. The village, surrounded by settlements, was completely vacated after settlers violently attacked the village. Children were made to walk barefoot on extremely sharp thistles at gunpoint, and men were beaten and more than a few have scars and broken bones. Doctors from the UN have documented a higher than average case of psychological disorders, including autism, amongst the village's fifty children. The settlers usually come down after Shabbat, on Saturday, and often wash their dogs in the villagers' drinking water, try to steal sheep, or beat them up.

Today, there was another attack on the village. A white Israeli truck (indicating settlers)sped into the village, and uniformed, armed men got out and started yelling at some villagers, then sped off again. Apparently,
they were settlement security, and had come to tell the villagers that Palestinians had been attacked by settlers. As the details emerged, it appeard that four settlers, armed with M-16's(they can legally carry them,
Palestinians can not), began to harass some locals with the intent to steal their sheep. Another local appeared, Adnan, and began arguing with the settlers. He is a good friend of many of the internationals here, and a father. The settlers beat him with the butt of their guns, and then shot him in the foot. Fortunately, he is ok, and will be home from the hospital in a few days (thankfully he made it to the hospital in Nablus with no problems).

Tomorrow we will go out with the farmers while they tend their sheep. It is Shabbat, and after today's confrontation everyone is on edge that something will happen. Although our presence does not guarantee anything, hopefully the settlers will be dissuaded from using violence. It has worked in the past, as the settlers seem to be very concerned about how they are represented in the press. In any case, we can quickly call for help and document abuses.

Its sad, our first two days of Yanoun were so wonderful... swimming in the spring, playing with children, eating, reading, just looking at the mountains. Every day we are given fresh bread and food, play with the children, and enjoy tea and coffee with the villagers. And then this happens and we know why the people of Yanoun are heroes to all Palestinians.

In Struggle,
Thomas and Adam